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May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. -Romans 11:10 (NIV)

Some of the nicest people I know are Jesus-proof. Some of the people closest to me, and some of the best friends I have, don’t believe in Jesus. No amount of witnessing, conversation, or debate will alter their sureness that Jesus was nothing more than either a real person who was just mortal, or that He never existed at all.

Some self-professed Christians may even live in ways that don’t show God through them at all. They may chase worldly pursuits and interests just like unbelievers. And though they proclaim His lordship over their lives, their lives don’t really show it.

If you truly believe and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the fruit of it will show in your life. And if you have not, a very different result will come forth from you. It may even physically affect you in the way of ailments. Remember how Jesus blinded Saul on the road to Damascus?

In the Book of Romans at the top of this post, Paul is talking about the unbelieving Israelites who refused to accept Jesus as their prophesied Savior. For those who refused to believe, even with Jesus in their midst, they would suffer not just in this world, but for eternity.

The above verse Paul wrote refers to one of the psalms of David (Psalms 69:23), where David asks God to punish wrongdoers.

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. -2 Timothy 1:8 (NIV)

True believers–those whose lives reek of Jesus to the outside world–walk in testimony to His reality, and His power, His strength, and His grace. We overcome the impossible. We outlast situations and seasons deemed impassable by the world. We love when the world tells us to quit loving. We do it all for Him, to His glory.

And I can testify that, as a former Jesus-proof, Teflon-coated unbeliever, that He can and will change your life…and that exposure to true believers can start that spark. But you have to acknowledge that the way you’ve been going isn’t working out…that there must be a better way. Jesus is that way.